, 1887-07-21
Pacific Investigation.

CHEYENNE, July 1S.--The Pacific
railroad investigating commission held
a public session here to-day. "A num-
ber of witnesses were examined,
among them Francis f.. Warren, ex-
Governor of the territory, @. w. kine,rr,
mayor of Cheyenne, f. A. Slack, edi-
tor OF the Cheyenne Sun, Nathaniel II.
Davis, ranchman and banker IN
Cheyenne, George A. Draper, Marshall
Smith, Erastus Nagle and Chas. n.
Pollen, merchants, Fred. s. Hibbard,
lawyer, and Alexander III. Reel, n
stockraiser. Each witness was exam
ined rs TO the facilities and accommo..
dations furnished to the community OF
CHEYENNE by the Union Pacific road.
Ex-Governor Warren, in reply
to questions by the commits
sioners testified that for some
years past the Uuion Pacific
Co. had taken no part in the politics
of the territory. He explained the
position which Cheyenne has hereto
fore held as distributing center Tor
the business OF the territory and urged
the building of branch lines by the
Union Pacific in order that Cheyenne
may continue to hold the business
naturally tributary to it. In reply TO
questions by Commissioner Anderson
the witness described the various
branches which the community OF
Cheyenne. he said, deemed necessary
for the purpose indicated. He claimed
that the extension of the Burlington
& Missouri and of the Chicago and
Northwestern roads into Wyoming
will have the effect to tap the territory
naturally tributary to the Union Paci-
iic and deprive that road and Cheyenne
city of part of their present business.
In reply to question by Gov. Patti
son as to why the United States gov
ernment should assist the Union Pa
cific to build branches any more than
il should assist any other road to do so
the witness said the government
should only assist the Union Pacific to
the extent that it, the government,
would be assisting Itself. The Union
Pacific should be held to n strict ac-
countability for its debt, but as in the
case of any otner debtor it should be
assisted by its creditor into position
where it could pay.
The other witnesses corroborated
the testimony of Gov. Warren
as to the commercial position
of Cheyenne and the necessity
of feeders for the Union Pacific
throughout Wyoming in order that
Cheyenne may retain and develop its
character as distributing point FOR
the territory. Each witness was ex-
amined rs to rebates and discrmina-
tions in his line of business and the
stock men as to the facilities offered
by the stock yards at Cheyenne, from
which it appeared that X. 5. Van Tas-.
sei,Ras a monopoly of the stock yard
business at that place. 1t also APP
peared that the Union Pacific controls
the sales of Rock Springs coal at
Cheyenne being the owner OF the
Rock Springs coal mines.
Mr.. Hibbard's testimony was to the
effect that while a clerk in the Union
Pacific office at Cheyenne, between
1879 and 1881, coal was billed by the
company to individuals at $3.50 q ton
from Rock Springs to Cheyenne while
to the government it was billed at $3.50
from Rock Springs to Camp Carlin,
short distance from Cheyenne. On
being examined by Commissioner Lit
tier as to the reason for this difference
the witness was unable to account for
it. After II three hours session the
commission left for Ogden expecting
to stop for a short session at Laramie.